After the first “failure” and the postponement of a vote to end sales of new thermal cars in Europe in 2035, the EU faces an unprecedented situation with Germany or even Italy asking whether Europe has gone a little too far with the measure.

In France, we seem to be in full agreement with the European decision, and Clément Beaune, the French Minister of Transport, called on Germany to again support the ban on the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines in the European Union in 2035.

According to him, it is a “slingshot shape” Berlin, which, as a reminder, simply wants synthetic fuels to be counted as renewable energy from 2035, to save what is left to save from the heat engine at that time.

#Ecology | “We must keep our ambitions for the production of thermal cars in #2035. Otherwise, we will be swept away ecologically and industrially. We must make the electric car affordable, a French and European product. » #LCI 🇫🇷🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/rt9hHSdHNm

— Clement Baune (@CBaune) March 8, 2023

France and Germany back to back

“We must stick to this goal. This is very important, including for our manufacturers in France and Germany.”– said the minister on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, on the LCI news channel, the day after the postponement of the 27 member states’ vote on this important part of the EU’s climate plan due to Germany’s announced abstention.

“Yesterday I had my German colleague, Transport Minister Volker Wissing, because it was he who led this form of rebellion against the 2035 target.”, – said Clement Bon. It should also be recalled that the blockade of Berlin is an initiative of liberals from the VDP, of which Volker Wiesing is a member.

Synthetic fuel is at the center of the discussion

As stated above, Germany wishes to include a new component in this highly criticized text: “The approval of the compromise by the Minister of Transport in November 2022 was subject to one condition: the presence of regulation on alternative fuels, in addition to the provision on the limitation of the fleet until 2035,” the carrier recalled. This fact is still not recognized. Discussions are ongoing at working level with the Commission so that this special regulation can be achieved. »

Except that the text in question was the subject of an agreement in October between member states and European Parliament negotiators and was officially approved in mid-February at a plenary meeting of MEPs. This can no longer be changed.

“This signal was clear, it was supported, including by Germany. This was recorded during the French presidency of the European Union as a great ambition (…) we must, I believe, return to this goal, which is very important”– said Clement Bon.

However, the European Union could have a “plan” to try to appease Germany, whose industry is essentially based on the production of internal combustion engines. Indeed, according to a German source, it would be enough for the European Union to announce a schedule or work plan on synthetic fuels (also called e-Fuels) to possibly appease the liberal FPD party. and thus convert Germany’s abstention into a positive vote.